The Fresh New Apple WatchOS 4 Is The Ultimate Workout Buddy

A lot of the time these conferences are concerned with things that don’t mean much to your average joe, like processors and gigabytes. This time, though, we were treated to the unveiling of the new WatchOS 4.

The Apple Watch’s latest iteration is clearly gunning for the Fitspo community, with updates that make working out a whole lot smarter.

The updated ‘Workout’ app now includes auto-sets for pool swim workouts and new motion and heart rate algorithms for High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts. Swimming tracking has been improved too, by automatically adding sets when the swimmer takes a break at the end of a lane. 

In what comes as an improvement to the older Apple watches, users will be able to combine multiple workouts (like a weights session followed by a swim) to reflect overall calorie and time measurements.

One of the most exciting developments is the new ‘GymKit’ function.

You’ll be able to pair your Apple Watch directly to treadmills, ellipticals, indoor bikes or stair steppers from global manufacturers like Life Fitness, StairMaster and Technogym. That’s an industry first, and the watch will grab data like calories, distance and speed straight from the machines for a more accurate measurement.

Another kool addition is ‘Activity Rings’. 

Erry morning, users will receive a personalised notification if they’re close to earning an ‘Achievement’, or suggest what they can do to match yesterday’s activity levels – encouraging the wearer to get up and about.

“We’ve created a truly individualized experience with the smartest Activity and Workout apps, the Siri watch face that shows you the information you need when you need it and we’re seamlessly bringing users their favorite [sic] music right on the wrist.”